Photo: Hans Höfer · Public domain · credits
Tier 3 · vertical & regionalfull biography
Erkki Melartin
Person · male · Finland · Priozersk · born 1875 · died 1937 · recording since 1989
Finnish conductor and composer (1875-1937)
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Also known as Erik Gustaf Oskarsson Melartin · Erik Melartin · 埃尔基·梅拉尔廷
Timeline
11 events▣ Album 8◦ Birth 1† Death 1★ Debut release 1
1870s
1930s
1980s
· Debut release
Debut release: Works for Piano
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography993 words · 7 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1377843215
Biography
Erkki Gustaf Melartin (7 February 1875 – 14 February 1937) was a Finnish composer, conductor, and teacher of the late-Romantic and early-modern periods. Melartin is generally considered to be one of Finland's most significant national Romantic composers, although his music—then and now—largely has been overshadowed by that of his contemporary, Jean Sibelius, the country's most famous composer. The core of Melartin's oeuvre consists of a set of six (completed) symphonies, as well as is his opera, Aino, based on a story from the Kalevala, Finland's national epic, but nevertheless in the style of Richard Wagner.
Melartin's other notable works include the popular wedding tune, Festive March (1904; from the incidental music to the play, Sleeping Beauty); the symphonic poem, Traumgesicht (1910); the Violin Concerto in D minor (1913); the Kalevalic symphonic poem for soprano and orchestra, Marjatta (1914); The Blue Pearl, Finland's first large-scale ballet (1930); and a set of four string quartets, composed between 1896 and 1910. In addition, a number of Melartin's songs for solo voice and piano have found a lasting place in the Finnish repertoire. Two additional projected symphonies, the Seventh and Eighth, might have further solidified his reputation, both within Finland and internationally, but the development of each was cut short by Melartin's death, at age 62.
Career
Melartin was born in Käkisalmi. As well as composing, he also taught and directed music at the Helsinki Music College, later the Helsinki Conservatory. His students included composer and conductor Heidi Sundblad-Halme. As conductor of the Vyborg Orchestra in 1908–11, and despite chronic health problems, Melartin toured extensively (as far as North Africa and India), conducting the first performance of Gustav Mahler's music in Scandinavia, the slow movement of the Resurrection symphony in 1909.
Although Melartin was chiefly a lyricist, the symphony was central to his musical output. He wrote six symphonies (1902–1924) and was the first Finnish composer to bear Mahler's influence. The fourth symphony uses a vocalise like that of Carl Nielsen's Sinfonia Espansiva. The fifth is a Sinfonia brevis ending in a fugue and chorale, while the sixth, harmonically more advanced than the other five, advances stepwise from a C minor first movement – with evocations of Mahler's Resurrection symphony – to an E-flat major finale. His musical output also includes an opera, Aino (based on the character from the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala), a violin concerto, four string quartets, and many piano pieces. His works therefore are divided mainly into large-scale works for orchestra, and chamber pieces for much smaller groups and soloists. Despite working in the same time period as Jean Sibelius he was not influenced by the more famous composer's style, and his work has been largely overshadowed by that of Finland's most revered composer.
The Juhlamarssi (Festive March) from his ballet Sleeping Beauty is the most popular wedding march in Finland. He died in Helsinki.
Stage
Aino, Opera in 2 acts, Op. 50 (1912)
Sininen helmi (The Blue Pearl), Ballet, Op. 160 (1930)
Prinsessa Ruusunen (Sleeping Beauty), incidental music, Op. 22 (1904)
Orchestral
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 30 No. 1 (1902)
Siikajoki, Symphonic Poem, Op. 28 (1903)
Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 30 No. 2 (1904)
Prinsessa Ruusunen (Sleeping Beauty), Suite from incidental music, Op. 22 (1904, 1911)
Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 40 (1906–07) / Score, preface in English
Traumgesicht, Symphonic Poem, Op. 70 (1910) / Score, preface in English
Patria, Symphonic Poem, Op. 72 (1911)
Marjatta, Symphonic Song for soprano and orchestra Op. 79 (1914) / Score, preface in English
Symphony No. 4 "Kesäsinfonia" (Summer Symphony) in E major, Op. 80 (1912) / Score, preface in English
Lyric Suite No. 3 "Impressions de Belgique", EM144 (1915-1916)
Symphony No. 5 "Sinfonia brevis" in A minor, Op. 90 (1915) / Score, preface in English
Symphony No. 6, Op. 100 (1924)
Divertimento, Op. 152 (1928)
Intermezzo, Op. 147 (1929)
Sininen helmi, Suite from the ballet, Op. 160 (1930)
Symphony No. 7 "Sinfonia gaia", Op. 149 (1935–1936, part 1 ready, sketches for other parts)
Symphony No. 8, Op. 186 (1936–1937, unfinished and fragmental)
Symphony No. 9, Op. 188 (1930's, just some structural plans exist)
Concerto in D minor for violin and orchestra, Op. 60 (1913)
Chamber music
String Quartet No. 1 in E minor, Op. 36 No. 1 (1896)
Sonata for violin and piano (1899)
String Quartet No. 2 in G minor, Op. 36 No. 2 (1900)
String Quartet No. 3 in E♭, Op. 36 No. 3 (1902)
String Quartet No. 4 in F, Op. 62 (1910)
Nocturne for violin and piano, Op. 64 No. 1
Kuusi helppoa kappaletta (6 Easy Pieces) for cello (or violin) and piano, Op.121
String Trio, Op. 133 (1927)
Sonata for flute and harp, Op. 135a (1927)
Sonata for brass, Op. 153 (1929)
Trio for flute, clarinet and bassoon, Op. 154 (1929)
Pieni kvartetto (Little Quartet) for four horns, Op. 185
Piano
Marionetteja (Marionnettes), Suite for piano 4 hands, Op. 1 (1899)
2 Ballads, Op. 5 (1899)
Lastuja I (Chips I), 6 pieces, Op. 7 (1900)
3 Pieces, Op. 8 (1899)
Lastuja II (Chips II), 6 pieces, Op. 9 (1900)
Skizzer, 5 Pieces, Op. 11
Legend II, Op. 12 (1900)
Lastuja III (Chips III), 5 pieces, Op. 34 (1906)
Lastuja IV (Chips IV), 5 pieces, Op. 48 (1907)
Surullinen puutarha (The Melancholy Garden), 5 Pieces, Op. 52 (1908)
Lyric Pieces, Op. 59 (1909)
4 Pieces, Op. 75
9 Little Pieces, Op. 76
Album Leaves, Op. 83
4 Sonatinas, Op. 84
24 Preludes, Op. 85 (1913–20)
Noli me tangere, Op. 87 (1914)
3 Pieces, Op. 98 (1916?)
Skuggspel, 7 Pieces, Op.104
Fantasia apocaliptica, Op. 111 (1921)
6 Pieces, Op. 118 (1923)
No. 2 The Mysterious Forest
6 Pieces, Op. 123 (1924–1925)
Vocal
3 Songs for voice and piano, Op. 13
Kansanlaulua Käkisalmelta (Folk Songs from Kexholm), Op. 55
5 Songs for voice and piano, Op. 69
3 Songs for voice and piano, Op. 77
3 Songs for voice and piano, Op. 86
4 Songs for voice and piano, Op. 95
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 21 | 82.6th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 8 | 81.1th |
| Studio albums | 8 | 88.9th |
| Awards recorded | 5 | 97.4th |
| Timeline events | 11 | 87.9th |
| Recording span (years) | -52 | 6.4th |
| Genres | 13 | 98.2th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (8 release groups · 8 studio albums)
Albums · 8
1989 · studio album
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Tracklist · 16 tracks · 1:08:47
13 Pieces, op. 8: No. 1. Elegie1:4223 Pieces, op. 8: No. 2. Romance1:4533 Pieces, op. 8: No. 3. Night3:124The Melancholy Garden, op. 52: I. We Two5:205The Melancholy Garden, op. 52: II. Lover's Lane3:416The Melancholy Garden, op. 52: III. Lullaby for a Begger Boy3:267The Melancholy Garden, op. 52: IV. Rain4:548The Melancholy Garden, op. 52: V. Loneliness5:589Noli me tangere, op. 87: I. Twilight in the Snow3:1610Noli me tangere, op. 87: II. Festive Morning2:1311Noli me tangere, op. 87: III. Presentiment2:2112Noli me tangere, op. 87: IV. The Hour of Death2:3213Noli me tangere, op. 87: V. Autumnal Wind1:31147 Piano Pieces, op. 98: No. 1. The Silent Forest3:13157 Piano Pieces, op. 98: No. 3. On High5:0916Piano Sonata no. 1, op. 111, "Fantasia Apocaliptica"18:341999 · studio album
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Tracklist · 24 tracks · 3:17:30
Disc 11Symphony no. 1 in C minor, op. 30 no. 1: I. Adagio - Allegro molto moderato ed energico8:512Symphony no. 1 in C minor, op. 30 no. 1: II. Adagio4:393Symphony no. 1 in C minor, op. 30 no. 1: III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace5:124Symphony no. 1 in C minor, op. 30 no. 1: IV. Finale: Allegro vivace6:556Symphony no. 3 in F major, op. 40: I. Allegro moderato8:557Symphony no. 3 in F major, op. 40: II. Andante9:068Symphony no. 3 in F major, op. 40: III. Scherzo: Vivacissimo10:098Symphony no. 3 in F major, op. 40: IV. Largo6:30Disc 21Symphony no. 2 in E minor, op. 30 no. 2: I. Andante tranquillo - Allegro6:442Symphony no. 2 in E minor, op. 30 no. 2: II. Andante8:163Symphony no. 2 in E minor, op. 30 no. 2: III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace5:414Symphony no. 2 in E minor, op. 30 no. 2: IV. Finale: Allegro vivace7:255Symphony no. 4 in E major, op. 80 "Summer Symphony": I. Allegro moderato10:266Symphony no. 4 in E major, op. 80 "Summer Symphony": II. Scherzo: Vivace5:567Symphony no. 4 in E major, op. 80 "Summer Symphony": III. Andante14:408Symphony no. 4 in E major, op. 80 "Summer Symphony": IV. Rondo-Finale10:18Disc 31Symphony no. 5 in A minor, op. 90 "Sinfonia brevis": I. Moderato12:232Symphony no. 5 in A minor, op. 90 "Sinfonia brevis": II. Andante7:203Symphony no. 5 in A minor, op. 90 "Sinfonia brevis": III. Intermezzo: Allegro moderato6:014Symphony no. 5 in A minor, op. 90 "Sinfonia brevis": IV. Finale7:005Symphony no. 6, op. 100, "Symphony of the Elements": I. Andante13:366Symphony no. 6, op. 100, "Symphony of the Elements": II. Andante5:287Symphony no. 6, op. 100, "Symphony of the Elements": III. Allegro5:438Symphony no. 6, op. 100, "Symphony of the Elements": IV. Finale10:162002 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:46:03
Disc 11Aino: Act I. Prelude5:192Aino: Act I. Scene 1 (Aino: Heloita, heleä päivä...)7:303Aino: Act I. Scene 2 (Väinö: Jatka!...)7:174Aino: Act I. Scene 3 (Väinö: Vaikka Tuonelan ovelta...)4:135Aino: Act I. Scene 4 (Taina: Missä lienee Aino tytti...)2:136Aino: Act I. Scene 5 (Jouko: Miksi huudas siskoani?...)7:127Aino: Act I. Scene 6 (Jouko: Tästä tie on Joukolahan...)1:448Aino: Act I. Scene 7 (Väinö: Tästä tie on Joukolahan...)9:59Disc 21Aino: Act II. Scene 1 (Aino: A - a - a - ...)6:062Aino: Act II. Scene 2 (Ainikki: Aino! Aino!...)4:333Aino: Act II. Scene 3 (Taina: Lapset, lapset...)3:374Aino: Act II. Scene 4 (Taina: Sinne poikani katosi...)3:525Aino: Act II. Scene 5 (Piiat: Mikä on laulu?...)2:326Aino: Act II. Scene 6 (Naiset: Heleijaa!...)16:207Aino: Act II. Scene 7 (Väinö: Miksi soitto on samea...)1:108Aino: Act II. Interlude8:559Aino: Act II. Epilogue (Aino: Aava meri!...)13:312011 · studio album
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Tracklist · 60 tracks · 2:15:54
Disc 11Lastuja I, op. 7: 1. Ro, ro, fiskarmor1:282Lastuja I, op. 7: 2. Suvi-illan vieno tuuli1:243Lastuja I, op. 7: 3. Keinutan kehtoa, laulatan lasta1:314Lastuja I, op. 7: 4. Jeg synes, at verden skinner1:015Lastuja I, op. 7: 5. Ej har jag hem och ej har jag härd1:546Lastuja I, op. 7: 6. Jag vill stilla tacka dig i den stilla0:537Legend II, op. 125:128Surullinen puutarha, op. 52: 1. Me kaksi5:009Surullinen puutarha, op. 52: 2. Lemmentie2:4310Surullinen puutarha, op. 52: 3. Kerjäläislapsen kehtolaulu2:4411Surullinen puutarha, op. 52: 4. Sade4:0012Surullinen puutarha, op. 52: 5. Yksinäisyys5:1613Lyyrisiä pianokappaleita, op. 59: 1. Barcarole2:3714Lyyrisiä pianokappaleita, op. 59: 2. Romance2:3815Lyyrisiä pianokappaleita, op. 59: 3. Berceuse2:0216Lyyrisiä pianokappaleita, op. 59: 4. Intermezzo1:4917Lyyrisiä pianokappaleita, op. 59: 5. Impromptu2:5818Den hemlighetsfulla skogen, op. 118: 1. Höstbild1:3719Den hemlighetsfulla skogen, op. 118: 2. Den hemlighetsfulla skogen1:1020Den hemlighetsfulla skogen, op. 118: 3. Häxan0:4221Den hemlighetsfulla skogen, op. 118: 4. Trollruna1:2522Den hemlighetsfulla skogen, op. 118: 5. Irrblossen0:5823Den hemlighetsfulla skogen, op. 118: 6. Trolldans1:3624Sex pianostycken, op. 123: 1. Aftonro3:1425Sex pianostycken, op. 123: 2. Marcia funebre3:0326Sex pianostycken, op. 123: 3. Idyll1:3627Sex pianostycken, op. 123: 4. Procession2:3028Sex pianostycken, op. 123: 5. Pastorale2:5529Sex pianostycken, op. 123: 6. Piccola marcia3:10Disc 2124 Preludier, op. 85: 1. Grekisk offerhandling2:02224 Preludier, op. 85: 2. Cappricio1:04324 Preludier, op. 85: 3. Studie1:10424 Preludier, op. 85: 4. Méditation1:20524 Preludier, op. 85: 5. Körsbärsblom i Japan2:25624 Preludier, op. 85: 6. Afton i Venedig2:12724 Preludier, op. 85: 7. Speldosan1:22824 Preludier, op. 85: 8. Tung Afton1:19924 Preludier, op. 85: 9. Lugn Afton1:151024 Preludier, op. 85: 10. Vinterväg2:271124 Preludier, op. 85: 11. Canon1:101224 Preludier, op. 85: 12. Folkvisa1:141324 Preludier, op. 85: 13. Scherzino1:341424 Preludier, op. 85: 14. Höstnatt1:421524 Preludier, op. 85: 15. Romans2:491624 Preludier, op. 85: 16. Ballatella1:171724 Preludier, op. 85: 17. Vårmorgon1:101824 Preludier, op. 85: 18. Robustamente2:071924 Preludier, op. 85: 19. Intermezzo1:252024 Preludier, op. 85: 20. Tempo di Mazurka0:562124 Preludier, op. 85: 21. Aning1:212224 Preludier, op. 85: 22. Beslutet0:522324 Preludier, op. 85: 23. Löftet1:182424 Preludier, op. 85: 24. Energico1:3825Noli me tangere, op. 87: 1. Snöstämning i skymningen1:5026Noli me tangere, op. 87: 2. Helgdagsmorgon1:5427Noli me tangere, op. 87: 3. Aning2:0828Noli me tangere, op. 87: 4. Dödsstund2:2929Noli me tangere, op. 87: 5. Höstvind1:4730Legend I, op. 63:3531Sonata no. 1, op. 111 (Fantasia apocaliptica per il pianoforte)15:56Traumgesicht / Marjatta / The Blue Pearl
2016 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 56:58
1Traumgesicht, op. 7016:512Marjatta, op. 7913:523Music from the Ballet The Blue Pearl, op. 160 (adapted by Lintu): II. Entrée avec pantomime4:014Music from the Ballet The Blue Pearl, op. 160 (adapted by Lintu): XI. Danse de Nénuphares5:235Music from the Ballet The Blue Pearl, op. 160 (adapted by Lintu): VIII. Scène (Tempête)2:336Music from the Ballet The Blue Pearl, op. 160 (adapted by Lintu): XIV. Pas de deux3:087Music from the Ballet The Blue Pearl, op. 160 (adapted by Lintu): XVI. Variation II2:058Music from the Ballet The Blue Pearl, op. 160 (adapted by Lintu): XVII. Coda1:279Music from the Ballet The Blue Pearl, op. 160 (adapted by Lintu): XX. Poissons à voile3:4610Music from the Ballet The Blue Pearl, op. 160 (adapted by Lintu): XVI. Finale (II acte), tempo di mazurka3:522017 · studio album
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Tracklist · 22 tracks · 53:24
1Mellan friska blomster, op. 172 no. 20:482Flickans klagan, op. 14 no. 12:173Törnet, op. 170 no. 31:364Stum kärlek, op. 116 no. 52:215Mitt hjärta behöver, op. 116 no. 62:316Under häggarna, op. 86 no. 31:447Bön om ro, op. 122 no. 62:048Elegie, op. 96 no. 12:579Akvarell, op. 96 no. 21:56104 Tagore Songs, op. 105: No. 1. Skyar3:20114 Tagore Songs, op. 105: No. 2. Sagan om vårt hjärta2:25124 Tagore Songs, op. 105: No. 3. Smärtan2:54134 Tagore Songs, op. 105: No. 4. Allvarsdagen3:1814Skåda, skåda hur det våras, op. 117 no. 21:5715I skäraste morgongryning, op. 21 no. 23:2016Marias vaggsång, op. 3 no. 13:2417Maria, Guds moder, op. 151 no. 23:1318Stjärnor, op. 151 no. 31:4819Mot alla stjärnor, op. 73 no. 31:4520Det är juni, op. 77 no. 22:1221Vallarelåt, op. 42 no. 13:0222Från lägerbålet i öknen, op. 78 no. 12:32Silent Revolution: French Modernism and the Zone of Colours
2023 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:00:18
1Préludes pour piano: La Colombe2:002Préludes pour piano: Chant d’extase dans un paysage triste7:143Préludes pour piano: Le Nombre léger2:044Préludes pour piano: Instants défunts3:465Préludes pour piano: Les Sons impalpables du rêve4:266Préludes pour piano: Cloches d’angoisse et larmes d’adieu9:117Préludes pour piano: Plaint calme3:038Préludes pour piano: Un reflet dans le vent5:209Cloches d’adieu et un sourire5:0810Sonata, op. 111 “Fantasia apocaliptica per il pianoforte”18:062025 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:07:47
1Symphony no. 5 in A minor, op. 90 "Sinfonia brevis": I. Moderato - Allegro12:252Symphony no. 5 in A minor, op. 90 "Sinfonia brevis": II. Andante6:513Symphony no. 5 in A minor, op. 90 "Sinfonia brevis": III. Intermezzo5:334Symphony no. 5 in A minor, op. 90 "Sinfonia brevis": IV. Largo - pensieroso8:155Symphony no. 6, op. 100 "Symphony of the Elements": I. Andante - Poco agitato13:306Symphony no. 6, op. 100 "Symphony of the Elements": II. Andante4:407Symphony no. 6, op. 100 "Symphony of the Elements": III. Allegro6:148Symphony no. 6, op. 100 "Symphony of the Elements": IV. Finale. Allegro con fuoco10:19
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Erkki Melartin head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 21 | 82.6th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 8 | 81.1th |
| Studio albums | 8 | 88.9th |
| Awards recorded | 5 | 97.4th |
| Timeline events | 11 | 87.9th |
| Recording span (years) | -52 | 6.4th |
| Genres | 13 | 98.2th |
Awards & honours
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Commander of the Order of the White Rose of Finland | won | |
| — | Knight of the Order of Vasa | won | |
| — | Knight's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit | won | |
| — | Officier de l'Instruction publique | won | |
| — | commander of the Order of the Dannebrog | won |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Erkki_melartin.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/5b3f4700-d190-4f70-8f36-9b68e76d9464discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/5b3f4700-d190-4f70-8f36-9b68e76d9464core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q534960genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q534960seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erkki_Melartinbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erkki_Melartin
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: Hans Höfer · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q534960 · MusicBrainz: 5b3f4700-d190-4f70-8f36-9b68e76d9464
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